Despite having one of the youngest rosters in its conference, the Liberty Christian girls basketball team set a school record with 22 wins this season and finished fourth in the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association state tournament.

The Eagles posted a final record of 22-9, and went 13-2 in district games.

“I am extremely proud of the girls this year,” Head Coach Tracey Mueller said. “It is really exciting for the girls knowing we are such a young team, and I am so grateful to be a part of their success.” 

The Eagles were led by eighth-graders Andrea Mueller and Addison Roden, who combined for 18.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.6 steals per game.

The duo was responsible for 64 percent of Liberty Christian’s offense this season, and both players were all-state selections.

“The girls are so young and have their entire high school career ahead of them, and for them to receive all-state honors as eighth-graders, it shows the talent that these girls are blessed with,” Tracey Mueller said. “They received these honors alongside very talented juniors and seniors. I see their love for the game and their desire to get better, and it is really exciting to see their talents at such a young age and to know how much more they will continue to learn and mature in the game.”

Because of players like Mueller and Roden, the Eagles’ head coach had a good idea of how good her team could be this season.

“I knew going into the season what we were capable of regardless of our age,” Mueller said. “The young girls have made long strides over the last couple of years, and I attribute that to playing up against these more experienced teams.  It always makes an athlete better when you face more experience and talent. In addition, we added our three juniors (Maddie Dames, Katie Pierson and Katelynn Chemin) to the mix, who all added great leadership and athleticism to our game.”

There were still a few surprises along the way.

Sixth-grader Sophi Mueller showed flashes of potential, and  eighth-grader Gracie Foran was fourth on the team with 4.2 rebounds per game.

“Gracie worked hard over the summer and it definitely showed on the court,” Tracey Mueller said. “She was not a starter in the beginning of the season and had very little playing time last season, but she is one we will see a lot of in the upcoming years.

“Sophi didn’t get a lot of playing time, but she is very grounded with the fundamentals of basketball. She will, like the others, only improve playing against veterans over the years.”

If every eligible player returns, the Eagles could have every player back next season and challenge for a state championship.

“Because we have such a wide spread of age and experience, I think we are going to take the summer and focus on some basics, such as the triple threat position, boxing out and rebounding,” Tracey Mueller said. “These are all things that I think we can all revisit, and it will only be beneficial for us as a team in the future.”